November 1, 2021
The reported approach of the Spanish Armada throws England into panic. As the attack looms, Ursula Stannard--Queen Elizabeth's illegitimate half sister, sometime companion, and reluctant spy--returns home to her son and friends only to find more trouble waiting. A queen's messenger has been killed on the road near one of her estates, and the question is whether it was personal or part of a treasonous plot. Ursula's ward, Mildred Atbrigges, has fallen in love yet again, this time with a highly unsuitable double agent. Berend Gomez, who travels back and forth to the Low Countries on the queen's business, has been invited by Ursula's neighbor Christopher, another messenger and spy, for a short visit, and the lovestruck Mildred runs off with him to deliver information to the Duke of Palma, a man the English desperately want to keep on their side. Furious, Ursula and Christopher follow in hot pursuit, but they can't catch the couple before they reach the duke's palace. In the meantime, Mildred and Gomez have married, and, much to her dismay, she's forced to play an active role in his spying activities, which puts her in grave danger when they cross paths with an old enemy. Gomez sends Mildred back to England with vital information in the company of Ursula and Christopher, who have arrived at the palace and met with the duke, and once home, Ursula finally uncovers the messenger's killer as the English party await news of the Armada. Plenty of exciting adventure spiked with a healthy dose of history.
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November 29, 2021
At the start of Buckley’s solid 20th Tudor mystery featuring occasional secret agent Ursula Blanchard (after 2021’s Forest of Secrets), Queen Elizabeth, Ursula’s half-sister, summons her to a meeting at St. James Palace in the spring of 1588. Should the Spanish follow through on their threat to invade England, Ursula will have an important—and dangerous—role to play. Meanwhile, the queen seeks an alliance with the Duke of Parma, governor of the Netherlands. When Ursula learns that her onetime ward, 20-year-old Mildred Atbrigge, has eloped with a half-Spanish double agent, Berend Gomez, to Brussels, where the duke has his palace, Ursula has an excuse to go to Brussels and do what she can to serve the queen’s interests while looking for Mildred. Does Gomez want to help the queen? And what are his true feelings for Mildred? Buckley does her usual fine job dramatizing the politics of the era, but newcomers should be prepared for relatively slow chapters devoted to the domestic activities of the series’ many secondary characters. Fans of Elizabethan historicals will be satisfied. Agent: David Grossman, David Grossman Literary (U.K.).